Urbandale is bringing focus to its unique position along Interstate Highway 35/80 with a re-branding effort aimed at attracting national businesses to the area.

With it, the city and Iowa Department of Transportation are expanding capacity and reducing traffic congestion on the interstate by adding three new interchanges — one of which will be open late next year.

Once those interchanges are open, Urbandale will have more interchange access points to I-35/80 than any other community in the Des Moines metro.

"With the introduction of the Urban Loop branding, the city of Urbandale is sending the message to the business community that we are ready to help with their growth," said City Manager A.J. Johnson at a brand unveiling Tuesday. "The Urban Loop represents the city's commitment to economic development by highlighting the assets of an established geographic area."

The newly named Urban Loop is a four-square-mile economic development area in Urbandale connected by the six miles of Interstate Highway 35/80 between Merle Hay Road and Hickman Road. There is about 700 acres of developable land and 800,000 square feet of leasable space in the Urban Loop area.

Much of the land is considered "shovel ready" with infrastructure like water and sewer lines already in place, said Curtis Brown, economic development director.

A portion of the Urban Loop is known locally as the Rider Corner for the 90 degree turn the interstate makes and for the Rider Coal Mine that once operated nearby. City officials hope that moniker will be dropped as the Urban Loop better describes the development area served by Urbandale's access to the interstate.

"It does very much reference that big turn or the loop in the freeway, but also the interchanges help to create loops of access around Urbandale and around the metro," Brown said. "The object of this brand launch is to re-position this whole area in the regional marketplace."

The former Rider Corner is also known for its heavy congestion during peak travel times. It was identified in an Iowa Department of Transportation report as one of the worst bottlenecks in the metro. Traffic slows to about 35 mph or less for at least five consecutive minutes 1,260 times a year, the report said.

A map of all the changes being made to the Interstate 35/80 corridor in Urbandale, now called the Urban Loop.(Photo: Special to the Register)

Several projects are in the works to increase traffic capacity along the Urban Loop:

Northwest 100th Street interchange — Construction is expected to be complete by late 2018 on a full-diamond interchange at that intersection.

Meredith Drive ramps — A northbound exit ramp and southbound on-ramp connecting I-35/80 to Meredith Drive will be constructed once the 100th Street interchange is complete. That will open in 2020.

Iowa Highway 141 flyover ramp — Construction of a flyover ramp from northbound I-35/80 to northbound Iowa Highway 141 and extension of the southbound ramp from Highway 141 to I-35/80 will also be done in 2020.

Two widening projects are also in progress in the Urbandale and Grimes areas.

Meredith Drive is being widened to four lanes between 128th and 142nd streets, and Iowa Highway 141 is being widened to four lanes between Iowa Highway 44 and Southeast 37th Street. Both are expected to be complete by the end of October.